It’s a guy thing V

About 4 weeks after my last entry on my on-going PSA story and after completing my course of antibiotics (12/05/13, the Thursday after Thanksgiving), I got my PSA retested.  My PSA tested at 2.95 which is slightly lower than the 3.0 value from my previous test.

IMO, something IS going on with my prostate.  However, I haven’t experienced any gross symptoms from it (problems beginning to urinate, maintaining a stream, emptying my bladder, etc.).  I suppose this means that my prostate hasn’t swollen or if it has, then my prostate has swollen only a small amount.

My doctor seemed satisfied that the course of antibiotic stopped or slowed the prostate issue enough that he wanted to wait another 6 months and then retest my PSA levels.  This health story is interwoven with another health issue related to my Crohn’s Disease that I’ll discuss in my next entry.

Let me take a moment to recommend that you should begin getting your PSA tested before the recommended age of 40.  The idea is not to worry about the absolute value of the PSA test result, but to instead monitor the direction and speed of change.

The vast majority of the time, prostate cancer grows very slowly and is not aggressive.  Watchful waiting is a legitimate method of dealing these.  However, sometimes it can be very aggressive and if you have a family history of prostate cancer, you should begin monitoring your prostate as soon as is practical.  You should also speak with your doctor and discuss your options.